Skyrim: The Companions
by RyoKushei
Summary: Alowhen returns to Skyrim to find his home deserted and his identity betrayed. Then, he meets a group of vagabond warriors who seem to have similar backgrounds like him, and he begins to feel accepted once again. A novelization of the Beginning of the game and the Companions' quest line. Rated T for minor violence.


Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim in any way, shape, or form. However, Alowhen is my character, so I guess I own him. I suppose my OCs are mine as well. However, All other weapons, NPCs, and areas belong to Bethesda and their greatness in game development.

* * *

><p>"Captain Telarius! We've found them!"<p>

The Imperial captain moved swiftly toward the rest of his squadron. They had gathered in front of the Bee and Barb, poised to open the door. Telarius put his right hand on his sword, ready to pull it from its sheath if needed. He didn't know what to expect here. After all, this was Riften, and the thieves' guild lurked beneath their feet, in the Ratway.

"Imperial soldiers! Are you ready?"

"Aye, sir!" His squad replied in one voice.

"Good. The emperor demands these rebels alive! Do not attack unless provoked with violence. Do you understand?"

"Aye, sir!" The squad replied once again. The captain smiled. His men were trained well. The captain cautiously put his hand on the door, twisted it, and pushed. The door opened, and the Imperial squadron moved inside. The bartender, seeing the soldiers, made a quick whistle and a brief gesture with his left hand. A few men at a table's eyes widened, but they casually got up and moved toward the exit. The man in the front, Telarius noticed, had a scar across his left eye and some red war paint to go with it. He had coarse blonde hair with small brown highlights in it.

_The leader of this party, no doubt, _he thought. _A close companions of Ulfrich, to be sure. He'll lead me to the dog, curse him._

The captain whispered to his lieutenant, then quickly followed the group of men out of the pub. He kept a close eye on the man in the front, ready to make his move.

* * *

><p>Alowhen looked at the group of men following him out of the bar. He frowned. He didn't know any of these people, but he figured they were just lost. He didn't shoo them away, in fact, he let them follow him out of the Rift. The only thing that bothered him was that they all wore a stormcloak cuirass...<p>

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><p>Telarius took a few of his soldiers with him and quickly ran out of the town, in pursuit of the strange man and his followers. He wondered where they were headed. The Stormcloaks hadn't stayed in one hold for more than a year now, but moved around frequently to evade capture. The bounty on the infamous group of rebels had skyrocketed in the last decade or so, and Telarius had specific orders from the Emperor himself to capture them.<p>

_And now,_ he thought, _I have them right where I want them._

* * *

><p><em>Why are Stormcloaks AND Imperials following me? <em>thought Alowhen as he continued walking away from Riften. He decided to ignore it for the moment. It was a long walk to Solitude, where his family was waiting for him in their cozy little home.

_Oh, Sevilia, just a few more days now. I'll be back soon, my love._

* * *

><p><em>Days <em>passed. Telarius was getting tired of walking behind a group of criminals. He had a decent idea that they knew he was behind them, so he was surprised at this point they hadn't made any effort to confront him. He was battered and bruised from the past few days' journey. He'd already lost three of his men to the icy air of the mountains, two to a giant attack, and an additional four to venom from wandering Frostbite Spiders. He had two soldiers left, and their morale was also slipping fast.

"Ilida, report," he barked.

His second-in-command replied timidly. "On- On what, sir?"

"You're a tracker. Tell me where they're headed."

She was shaking, and Telarius didn't know if it was from fear or from the chilly air all around them.

"Fr- from the l- looks of it, i- it looks l- like they're m- moving towards S- Solitude," she finally answered.

Telarius frowned. The Stormcloaks were in _Solitude_? What in the name of the gods were they thinking, hiding right under the Imperials' noses?

Moreover, he wondered how he could've been so stupid not to notice.

* * *

><p>After days of his tiring journey, Alowhen finally saw the walls of Solitude in the distance. Maybe he'd had the wrong idea about the Stormcloaks. They weren't actually so bad. They gave him food and drink, shared stories with him, and even helped him fight several monsters as well as bandits along the way. They seemed to like him for some reason.<p>

He and his new companions reached the gate. He opened it quickly, and closed it as soon as they were through. He had been told to avoid the Imperials behind him, and did so.

As soon as they entered the city, he told them they needed to part ways, but he was grateful for their help. They told him that they needed to meet with their leader anyway, and that they hoped fate would reunite them in the future. The one who was the so-called spokesman of the group introduced himself as Ralof, and handed Alowhen a steel dagger "to defend himself against the cursed Imperial soldiers."

Alowhen walked toward his house on the eastern side of town. He was greeted by many citizens of the Hold, and the many guards throughout the city bowed to him and welcomed him home. He happily strolled up to his house and knocked at the door, knowing his daughter would open the door and laugh happily as he would scoop her up and kiss her cheek.

Nobody answered the door.

Puzzled, he opened the door and walked inside. The house was dark, and cold, as if nobody had occupied it for several weeks.

"Sevilia, I'm home, love!" He called. No reply.

Fearing the worst, he rushed up the stairs to the upper levels. He saw a faint light in the next room, and ran into it. He screamed.

On the floor, covered in blood, were his wife and daughter. Dead.

"_SEVILIA!"_ he cried, hoping for any response. There was none.

Sevilia and Helma were dead, and Alowhen's spirit along with them.

"How touching," a deep voice came from behind him.

He turned around to see a man with stringy black hair and dark circles around his black eyes. He scowled at Alowhen, drawing a dagger to kill the grieving man at his feet.

"Ulfrich, WAIT!" a familiar voice with a thick Nordic accent called.

Ralof rushed to his master's side.

"I know this man, Ulfrich! If he joined us, he might be a great influence in the Stormcloak legion!"

"Shut up, Ralof. He knows too much." Ulfrich raised the knife again, this time ready to strike.

Ralof lunged at Ulfrich, tackling him. Alowhen gasped as Ulfrich stabbed Ralof in the chest. Alowhen grabbed an iron sword from a nearby chest as Ralof blacked out. As Ulfrich Stormcloak raised his knife one last time to finish off Ralof, Alowhen rushed toward him. Without looking, he swung his sword. In one swift motion, Ulfrich's hand, along with the knife it held, fell to the ground.

Suddenly, Alowhen felt a searing pain in his head. He slumped to the ground, and his face hit the cold stone floor. He didn't see anything else as he lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>"Ha! That'll teach the dogs a lesson, without a doubt!" the Captain sneered at the three unconscious men at his feet. "Hadvar, carry them to the cart."<p>

"With all due respect, sir, this man doesn't look like he's a Stormcloak. He's not with them," the young officer replied.

"Don't worry, Hadvar. He won't suffer the same fate as the others. Oh, no. He'll be treated much, much better," Telarius said with a wicked grin on his face. "Ilida, send Ulfrich and the other to the Solitude jail."

"Yes, m'lord."

"And, just between you and me," Telarius leaned in close to the female officer, "the scarred man stays on the cart. Tomorrow, we take all three of 'em to Helgen, where they'll be executed along with the rest of the clan."

"But you said the Emperor wants them alive!"

"Shhh... The emperor doesn't have power in Helgen. He won't even know about it."

He turned back to Hadvar. "What's taking you so long? Get them to the cart!"

The young commander nodded, then carried the three unconscious men out of the house. The Captain addressed Ilida once more before telling her to ride to Helgen immidiately. She nodded as well, and left the house.

Telarius held out his hand, and Magicka crackled in his palm. Destruction Magicka, a fireball. With an evil grin on his face, Telarius threw the crackling ball of heat down, aimed straight at the dead woman and girl at his feet. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to become one with the fiery blaze. The last thing he did before his maniacal suicide was give a silent salute to the empire, praying that his decision to kill the innocent man would not be in vain.

With a sharp _crack_, the house collapsed in the fire, trampling the Imperial Captain with it.


End file.
